Sunday, January 24, 2010

According to a bunch of those health websites out there, I'm supposed to keep my calorie intake to about 1400 a day if I want to lose weight, and that's with three to five days of exercise a week.

1400 calories a day???

One medium apple is 95 calories, and one medium banana is 105 calories. Could I eat only 13-14 apples or bananas a day and be satisfied? Hell to the no.

Even three Altoid mints are 10 calories. You know how all those little breath mints add up over the course of a day!

This first week of my Biggest Loser challenge hasn't been an easy one. I've had to cut out or cut back on alot of foods that were, up until this point, staples in my diet. Over 200 calories and 15% of your daily recommended carb intake for one measly cup of plain rice or pasta? Ouch. I had to find ways to make salads and vegetables tasty, filling and somewhat nutritious, so of course I resorted to an old favorite of mine: tofu salad with wakame seaweed and shaved bonito.

After having been to numerous Japanese restaurants and loving the salads, whether it be Mishima's tofu salad, various sushi bars' sashimi salads, or even the gratis side salad that one usually gets with a bento, I created my own version that's exceptionally simple to make at home.

Using mixed greens, firm tofu, wakame seaweed, shaved bonito and some Japanese dressing, you get a delicious, filling meal that takes up an entire plate and that's only a little more than 200 calories. And not only does your body benefit from all the great vitamins in the greens, but it also gets protein from the tofu and calcium from both the tofu and wakame.

The best thing about a filling, 200 calorie meal is that leaves room for lots of other stuff like an ice cream craving later on in the day.

Tofu Salad With Wakame Seaweed and Shaved Bonito1 tablespoon dried wakame seaweed*3 cups mixed greens (any mixed lettuces will do--I like to add arugula for a peppery bite!)2-3 tablespoons of your favorite Japanese dressing (I usually use a combo of JFC's Ginger Dressing and McCormick Sesame/Goma Dressing because they're tasty and MSG-free unlike many bottled Japanese salad dressings. Or you could make your own!)1/4 block of firm tofu, cut into squares1/2 cup dried shaved bonito*

-Soak wakame in hot water to rehydrate, drain & rinse in cold water.-Toss salad dressing with greens and seaweed.-Top with tofu slices and bonito and violà!

*Note: Wakame seaweed and shaved bonito are definitely available at Japanese markets such as Mitsuwa, Marukai or Nijiya. They're probably also available at other Asian markets or the Asian aisle of bougie Western markets, but I could be wrong.

I've read that when you're trying to lose weight, varying your daily calorie intake is better than eating the same number of calories everyday.

Basically, you determine the number of daily calories you can eat: 1,400 in your case. You eat 1,200 calories one day, maybe 1,600 the next, etc. But you eat the same amount of calories per week as if you had been eating 1,400 calories per day.

The theory behind this is that if your body gets used to having a set number of calories per day, it's going to be more efficient and burn those calories slower. Varying the number of calories you consume supposedly counteracts that.

Like all diet theories, it could be bunk. But it might be worth trying. Good luck!

That looks delicious. 200 calories, FTW!!! Did I see you twitter that you are on the Greek yogurt for breakfast? I have plans for diet domination with the yogurt, a piece of fruit, this salad for lunch and then a little freedom for dinner.